


Quiet

by Bananafan



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Fluff, Link is allergic to flowers, POV First Person, POV Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Pre-Breath of the Wild, Sneezing, Zelda and Link are traveling together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:00:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21705598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bananafan/pseuds/Bananafan
Summary: Zelda and Link are traveling together. The POV is from Zelda, based on her diary in Breath of the Wild. Short and sweet.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Quiet

He’s so quiet.

I’ve always been rather talkative myself, and I encourage others to communicate their thoughts and ideas as much. I suppose that’s why it bothered me so much.  
Ever since we began traveling together, all I’ve been able to get him to do is nod at my commands. The man never speaks! Does he not respect me? Does he hate me? I knew he could speak – he’d spoken to my father. I knew he had a voice, he simply refused to use it. It drove me mad.

My boots sank into the soft earth as we trudged through the grassy Hyrule field. My eyes were down as I picked through my thoughts and worries. The frilled cup of a gorgeous white flower caught my eye and slowed me. A silent princess flower, one of the most elusive when it came to gardening. They only survived in the wild. I gazed at it with a small smile, wishing I could stop to admire them a bit longer, but we did have places to be.  
Wasn't that always the case for me? What I wanted to do always shadowed by what I needed to do, or what I was _told_ to do. I frowned at the simple reminder of my father, trying not to grumble out loud.  
Eyes still downcast, my body collided with the one in front of me. The shock made me gulp back a yelp of surprise as I reeled back defensively.  
“What are you doing?!” I snapped rather harshly, barely able to catch my breath as my heart sped.  
The hero soldier said nothing. Of course.  
My hands met my hips and I glowered at the back of his blonde head, fresh anger flaring in my gut.  
“Would you at least tell me what in goddess name-“  
_“Hiett-chzz!”_  
I stared at him, words completely forgotten. That was the first sound I’d heard him make. I blinked at him, stunned.  
I heard a sniffle and caught him peeking back at me with a mixture of apologetic embarrassment on his flushed cheeks.  
“Are you…” I fumbled for words. I’d never found myself speechless before, but here I was, not knowing what to say to the normally silent warrior.  
He nodded and we continued.  
Now my brain filled with new thoughts and worries. Should I have pushed? Asked him again, more forcefully? He could be catching a cold. Should I check him for fever? Perhaps I’m over-analyzing. I tend to do that.  
Did he just shiver? I’m being silly. Then again…  
I watched him carefully now, instead of the scenic flora we were passing through. He seemed to be tending his nose rather often, and his pace had slowed from the time we'd left the castle. It was obvious he wasn’t feeling 100%, but I still said nothing – again, odd for me.  
I continued observing him, noting the small gasps he drank in that one might have mistaken for breathing (if they weren’t as attentive as I).

Twenty paces of fighting it later, he dipped down into his sleeve with a sharp inhale. _“Hhheehhxxt! Iiiehh…”_ his face came up again for air, _“Tchh!”_  
Finally I could say something! I lit into him. “You’re obviously unwell,” I huffed, recognizing my haughty tone, but not bothering to correct myself. He massaged the wings of his nostrils and sniffed, still attempting to ignore me, I assumed.  
My frustration with him peaked and I snapped. My hand flew out to grasp the collar of his sky-colored tunic and tugged him backwards so that he stumbled. “Fine then! Don’t talk to me, but at least let me-“  
He took a step back from my outstretched hand and winced at my enraged snarl. “Stand at attention, knight!” I ordered. I was done with his evasion. _I_ was the Princess here.  
And he knew it. The hero complied, placing his hands by his sides and straightening his back, facing me with only a bit of worry knitting his brow.  
“That’s better.” I moved closer again and brushed the back of my hand across his forehead. My touch made him cringe (or that’s what I thought made him flinch like that). It looked like he was holding his breath, teeth clenching as he chomped down hard on his lip. His already flared nostrils curled and I realized why almost too late.  
_“Hhihh…”_ I pulled my hand back quickly as his flew up to cover his face with his palm, _“Eiiikkktshhh!!”_  
His eyes fluttered above the cupped palm latched over his mouth, the look he gave me made my chest tighten and my features fall with sympathy.  
I felt bad.  
I’d been hard on him, and for no reasons but my own internal angst. We’d only just started traveling together, and truth be told I was angry with my father, not his soldier.  
I sighed at the young man, using the back of my fingers to check his cheeks. “Well, you don’t have fever. What’s wrong with you…?” I wondered aloud.  
The soldier’s wary eyes slipped down to his feet, and my gaze followed his to one of the stray silent princess flowers nearby.  
Oh.  
I stared at the innocent-looking flower before my eyes returned to the afflicted soldier and...I laughed. I couldn’t help it. This stoic soldier hadn’t made so much as a peep since I’d met up with him, but now, here he was, forced into breaking that silence…by a flower. The irony of its name was not lost on me either.  
I tried not to giggle through my words as I finally spoke again. “Ridiculous man! Don’t just stand around in it then!” I tilted my head to the side, remembering why he was so still. “Oh, yes of course. At ease and all of that,” I pinched the fabric of his tunic and tugged lightly, “Come on then!”  
We made it out of the field and I huffed at him once again. “You know, if you had _told_ me you were allergic to those, we could have avoided this whole tiff.”  
This statement got me another apologetic blink, complete with an abject nose rub and a grunt.  
“Sorry.”  
I froze. My head swung back to stare at him again, certain I was mistaken. “Did you just…”  
His cheeks heated and he rubbed the back of his neck abashedly, not meeting my gaze.  
My heart lifted, a sliver of hopefulness lightening my tone and bringing forth another bubbly laugh from my lungs. I found my mood completely shift from the anger I’d felt earlier. Link seemed to be feeling a bit better now too, which brightened my smile further.  
“Suppose I’ll keep on talking then; perhaps a loud princess won’t give you such a poor reaction.”  
His shoulders sagged and he looked at me now, lips twisting in a wry expression that made me chuckle again. Perhaps he didn’t need to say anything at all. I could read that face well enough. One day I’d get him to say more than a mere word, but for now I felt better knowing he was growing more comfortable around me.  
Perhaps then, he might forgive my brash rudeness and come to see me as more than just the Princess.


End file.
